Batgirl of the Future: Truth Be Told
by Watership's Nightwish Rat
Summary: After visiting Amanda Waller in Metropolis, Coba Brooklyn returns to Wayne Manor to talk to Bruce about their relations. To their surprise, an unexpected guest comes in with other dark secrets... One-shot.


**Author's Notes:**

**Here it finally is: the follow-up one-shot to "The Call!" I actually started writing this one right after finishing up "The Call" and right before working on "Remember" and "Last Resort," but writer's block for it had seized me—big time. And this really turned out rather differently than it would have if I had finished it a few months ago. Well, I'll save the full ****explanation for until the end of this one. **

**Recommended order of reading (although it's not really necessary to follow in it):**

**1. Rebirth**

**2. Running Out of Inque**

**3. Remember**

**4. Eyewitness of the Past**

**5. Last Resort**

**6. The Call**

**7. Truth Be Told**

**8. In Waves (doesn't really follow the plot of any episodes)**

**Please R&R and enjoy...**

* * *

It was already nine o' clock at night when Coba Brooklyn finally returned to Wayne Manor from her visit with Amanda Waller in Metropolis. Almost as immediately as she walked through the door, a dog and a rat excitedly ran up to greet her. "Hi, Ace! Hey, Ed!" Coba greeted, grinning.

Ace leaned into Coba's legs, knocking her off balance and causing her to fall to the ground. Ed quickly climbed up onto the girl's shoulders and affectionately nibbled her right ear. Despite the odd feeling, Coba could not help but smile bigger. Ace pinned her down and he and Ed began licking her face, causing her to laugh. This went on for ten more seconds before Coba finally pushed them away gently. "Thanks, guys," she said gratefully. "I really needed that."

Ed jumped back onto Coba before she stood up. He looked at Ace victoriously. "_See? I told you nothing says 'welcome home' like an ambush!_" he boasted in rat.

"_Yeah, except you wanted to throw poop at her like last time_," Ace groaned in dog.

"_I thought I told you not to bring that up_," Ed stated gruffly, casting a glare at Ace.

Coba could not help but grin proudly at the two. It had been over a year since she got Ed, and had since been teaching him and Ace how to understand each other: first with their own communicators, then by ear and memory. _And Bruce said it wouldn't work._

Her grin faded. _Speaking of Bruce..._ She turned to the animals. "I'll be back."

Brooklyn slowly walked down the cement stairs that led into the Batcave, careful not to let her weak right leg slip from under her and cause her to fall. "Bruce?" she called as she entered. There was nothing. She approached the large Batcomputer. "Are you in here?"

The chair in front of the computer swiveled around, catching Coba momentarily off guard. She stumbled backward with a startled gasp, but just barely managed to regain her balance, with the help of a large hand gripping her arm, just before she could have fallen off the edge of a cliff. The hand pulled her away from the edge, then let her go once she was a fairly safe distance away from it. "Sorry, kid," a gruff voice apologized. "I didn't mean to scare you. Are you alright?"

Coba nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks, Bruce."

Bruce was not comforted by the girl's words. "Coba, you're shaking," he said concernedly. "What's wrong?"

"I'm fine, really," Coba tried to reassure him while trying to calm herself down. "I guess I'm still worked up about being attacked by a serial killer earlier."

"Superman told me about it," Bruce put in. "He said you put up quite a fight, though." His eyes narrowed with more concern. "You aren't usually like this after you face other ones."

Brooklyn shrugged. "I know I'm not. I wasn't wearing my Batgirl suit when it happened this time, so that could've been it."

"Maybe," Wayne said calmly. "But there's something else on your mind, isn't there? Something you're afraid to address."

Coba hesitated a moment, then nodded. "Yes, there is," she confirmed in a quiet voice.

The first Batman stood up, walked over to a closet, and pulled out an extra chair before placing it next to the computer chair. "Sit down," he said calmly yet authoritatively. Coba sat down, though she was apprehensive about it. "What's on your mind?" he interrogated in a calmer tone, despite still carrying a somewhat commanding voice.

The small teen looked at him and was about to speak, but suddenly stopped nervously. _How is he going to react? Why can't I see _that_ like I usually do?_ She breathed a sigh. "Well, after the cops took the serial killer away, Superman said something about..." She stopped again, then let out another small sigh. "...about me being too much like you for my own good." Her cobalt and red eyes gazed into Bruce's light-blue ones. "Bruce, how are we related?"

Bruce looked at her, hesitant to speak. After a moment, he asked, "You really want to know, don't you?"

"Yes, I do," Coba replied with a nod.

"I knew you would, young one," a male voice said from the shadows. "Which is why I followed you. Though, I can't really call you young when we met: I was younger than you then."

Wayne and Coba looked in the direction of the voice, and saw a figure silhouetted by the cave's shadows. The old man looked at his ward a bit angrily. "Why didn't you make sure if you were being followed or not?" he asked her.

"She did make sure," the figure replied before Coba could. "But you and Mother taught me how to tail someone too well. Not that I had to follow her to know where the Batcave is."

Brooklyn was able to recognize the newcomer before he stepped out of the shadows to reveal himself. However, she remained silent so Bruce could figure it out for himself. She saw her guardian's eyes grow wide with shock. "Damian," he breathed.

"Hello, Father," Damian greeted, his tone neither cold nor welcoming. "I suppose Coba didn't tell you about her most recent run-in with me."

The first Dark Knight looked at Coba curiously. "Coba, what is he talking about?" he demanded.

"He's talking about when we were at Ra's' fortress," Coba answered solemnly. "When I was separated from you and Terry when it was about to go up in flames, I was pinned by falling debris. Carter saw me, and was about to kill me when... when Damian came along and stopped him before he could." _And killed Carter. _"He's the reason why I survived that night," she concluded.

"Why didn't you tell me about this?" Bruce asked sternly.

"I asked her not to," Damian answered. "We both feared how you would handle it if it came out at the same time you found out Grandfather had killed Mother." He looked down sadly. Coba could tell that he missed his deceased parent, and knew that he had missed Bruce as well—even if he refused to admit it.

Coba looked at Bruce questioningly. "I thought you and Grandfather said he was killed by Joker."

Damian looked at her. "I asked them not to tell you what really happened," he confessed sagely. "I did not want you to be more terrified about me than you had been when you thought me dead. Though I assure you this was not complete dishonesty. Joker did kill me, but not in the way they implied."

"Joker did what he was going to do to Tim to you," Coba realized with a gasp.

"Yes. And it is true that the thug Hal was grabbed as well. But enough about me right now," Damian stated, turning to Bruce. "Are you going to tell her, Father?"

Bruce shot his long-lost son a hard gaze for a moment, then looked at Coba, softening his gaze. "I don't know how else to say this, kid, but... I'm..." He stopped. Coba looked at him expectantly, but placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. He swallowed, then continued in his thoughts, _I'm your father._

At first Coba could not believe what she was reading, but was quick to realize that Bruce was indeed telling her the truth. She could not find her voice at first. "How—how is that possible? I mean, how is it that both you and Warren McGinnis are both my father?" She felt a pang of sorrow at the memory of the said man, of finding his lifeless body on the floor of their home two years earlier, and of the knowledge that she was unable to ever see him alive again.

Wayne closed his eyes briefly, thinking over her question, then opened them slowly. "You know the saying 'The world needs a Batman?'" he asked calmly.

"Yes," the girl answered with a nod. "What about it?"

"Well..." Bruce let out a sigh. "To Amanda Waller, it was obvious that I would not go on forever as Batman. Without my knowledge, she started a project called 'Batman Beyond.' During one of my final outings as Batman, Waller collected some samples of DNA that had fallen to the ground. She then began to look for a young couple that resembled my parents. It was not long until she found them: Warren and Mary McGinnis.

"Your father got a call from the clinic a few days later. He went in the same afternoon to get a what he thought was a flu shot. What the shot really contained was my DNA, which was to overwrite his. As you can tell, it was a success."

Coba was silent for a moment. "So... does this mean that Terry's your son too? And that our father wasn't really our father?"

"Yes and no. Terry is my son, but Warren _was _your father: just not exactly biologically."

"When did you find out about this?" Coba asked after another brief silence.

"Shortly before the Terrific Trio came to Gotham," Bruce answered gravely.

"Why didn't you tell me any of this before?"

Bruce seemed to be a bit amused by this question. "You never asked, for one thing. For another, I wanted you and Terry to remember Warren as your father. Yet another, I wanted you two to become your own man and woman, and not feel that you have to be just like me. It's never been my intention to hurt either of you."

The girl let these words sink in for a moment, then nodded in acknowledgement. "I know it hasn't been, Bruce," she said quietly. "And I know you haven't told Terry yet: he'd have told me about it if you did."

"And he'd be even more confused about it than you are now," Bruce noted.

"If not as much, yeah." She looked at her guardian, curiosity still present in her gaze. "When do you plan to tell him? You know you'll have to at some point."

"I'm aware that he needs to know, but not right now: he won't take it very well right now, especially if it comes from me. Are you planning to tell him?"

Coba shook her head. "No. It wouldn't come out right if I told him. I'll leave that to you and Waller." _Even _I'm_ having a tough time understanding it. And I don't know if I'll ever be able to truly accept this knowledge._

"A wise decision," Damian agreed, pulling Brooklyn out of her thoughts. He looked at the young girl. "Discussing your heritage was not the only reason why I came, Coba. Nor is it to thank you for saving my life all those years ago, though I am grateful for it."

Wayne looked at his oldest descendent in surprise. "Why else did you come?"

Al Ghul-Wayne looked at his father solemnly. "To discuss why she has powers."

"Powers?" Coba asked in confusion. "I only have mind-reading abilities, strong hearing and frequent visions of what will happen in the future if nothing's done to stop it. And strong hearing, now that I mention it."

"I guess that means you have not grown into your other ones, yet," Damian muttered.

"What are you talking about?" Coba inquired, even more confused.

Damian looked at her gravely. "It's a long story, and I suggest that you both brace yourself for it." He looked down at Coba's crippled right leg, which was supported by a metal ankle-foot orthosis (AFO). "No offense."

"None taken," Brooklyn assured him.

The man nodded in acknowledgement, then began. "As my father may have told you, or you found out on your own, there was a young Royal Flush Gang member named Ace. Her life was cut drastically short when she developed a cerebral aneurysm. CADMUS, which I had joined twenty years ago, was still working on finding a way to stabilize it for future use by the time you were born. Starfire gave us a sample of her own DNA to see if it would help. It did, but not well enough. After a few more months, Waller thought of combining the altered DNA with chemo, stabilizing it permanently. Eventually, word of it spread to Slade Wilson, whom you know to be Deathstroke. He wanted the abilities of Ace and Starfire for himself. I hid the altered chemo for a few more months until I found you stricken with cancer. After adding a chemical to keep the DNA/chemo from ever being extracted, I replaced the original chemo meant for you with the altered chemo."

Coba looked at him quizzically. "But why give it to me when there were so many other people in the hospital?" she inquired.

"I knew from the moment you were conceived that my father is also your father and who your grandparents were on both sides," Damian answered, "though I assure you that your heritage does not have everything to do with my decision. I sensed that you were worthy of bearing both the powers of Ace and the powers and emotions of Starfire, which was proven to me when we first met over forty years ago."

"Well, I guess that answers why I'm more emotional than a lot of other people I know," Coba murmured.

"I guess so," Damian atoned.

Batgirl became even more curious. "What other powers do I have? Or, should I say, _will_ have?"

Damian shrugged. "To be perfectly honest with you, I'm not completely certain. For all I know, some of Starfire's DNA may have altered the powers in Ace's DNA. I can only guess telekinesis is a definite one, and maybe levitation."

Coba looked at the ground blankly for several moments, unsure of how to respond to this new information. _So I _am_ a super-human_, she thought grimly. _With powers Deathstroke had wanted for himself, and most likely still does. He's still alive, I can feel it. Until he realizes that the powers can't be removed from me, I'm a target if he finds out that I have them._ Her gaze hardened determinedly._ I won't make it easy for him, I know that much. If he wants the powers, he can try._

The oldest descendant of Bruce seemed to know what she was thinking. "Slade knows that you have the powers, and that they can not be removed. He knows there is no way that he can control you to use them to his advantage. He is currently—"

"—trying to find me and is waiting for the right time to strike," Coba finished solemnly. "But the question is: when does he think the time to strike is?" Then it hit her. "When I start gaining them. He'll have the upper hand as long as I'm inexperienced with them."

Bruce nodded sagely and placed a hand on Coba's shoulder. "Then that means you'll have to be much more careful when you're out there. Your grandfather and I know Wilson too well: he won't rest until he has accomplished what he set out to do."

"I know," Brooklyn said quietly.

"I had better get going," Damian stated. "Waller's probably waiting for me to make a report on whether or not Slade is back."

"Alright, son," Bruce stated gravely. "Take care."

"You too, Father." The man turned to Coba. "You as well, Coba." Without another word, Damian walked out of the cave at a moderate pace.

Wayne turned to Coba once more after Damian had gone. "Coba, when you go to Grayson's tomorrow, ask him to show you how to fight with weapons."

The girl was surprised at first, then nodded knowingly. "Alright, Bruce." _Father._ "I agree that it'll be best if I know how to use them, at least for self defense."

"Good girl." Bruce turned to the computer. "You'd better go get some rest."

Coba looked at him in surprise once more. "What about patrolling?"

"Terry can handle it," Bruce reassured her. "Besides, you've had a long day. The stress you're feeling is obvious in your eyes. It'll be better for you if you get some sleep."

Brooklyn hesitated at first, but realized the wisdom in Bruce's words, then lightly bowed her head in defeat. "Alright, then. Good night."

"Good night, Coba."

Coba looked up at him, managed a smile, then turned and walked out of the cave. Though, not without her thoughts. _I'm the daughter of Bruce Wayne, I have powers none of my family members have, and I'm the target of a madman. Well_, she realized, _I guess that last one's not all _that_ surprising. Being a Bat means being the target for madmen, and doing your best to not let them win. _She let out a sigh of despair as she walked up the stairs leading from the mansion's main floor to it's upper level. _But what if my best isn't good enough to stop Slade?_

* * *

**Yep, Damian's still alive after all. Bet you didn't think he'd have anything to do with Coba having abilities! :P**

_**I** **did!**_

**That's because I told you about it!**

_**Oh yeah...**_

**Any-who, explanation time:**

**When I started writing this, I had no intention of including Damian or an explanation of where and how Coba got her powers. It was just going to be about Bruce telling her about her true heritage and end with her going on patrol. Well, then I had a weird dream in late December of 2013, and I began coming up with an idea for a story to take place after this one-shot. I decided to have Damian still be alive, just living in secret, and to have him be the reason why Coba has powers. As for Deathstroke's involvement in this, well, that didn't occur to me until a few days ago. I thank TRON0602 for getting me familiarized with Slade and the Teen Titans, otherwise, of course, Slade wouldn't be in this at all and Coba's powers would have only come from Ace.**

**I would like to dedicate this story to my rats Theodore David and Shadow Bartholomew, the former having had died by the time I finished up "The Call" and the latter having had died the day I posted the epilogue for "Last Resort." Rest in peace and paradise, little-big guys. I'll always love you and hold a place in my heart for you.**

**Have a nice day, everyone!**

**Until next time,**

**WNR.**


End file.
